lee_h_99
Lifetime Total
25+
Lifetime Image
25+
IMDb Member
16 years
Reviews
The Man from Mo'Wax (2016)
Incredible film - one the most honest music documentaries I've ever seen
I really loved this film - such an honest exploration of a unique part of music history and the mad rollercoaster that is James Lavelle's life - not your yourself artist promo pretending to be a documentary. There's some amazing home footage of DJ Shadow and some really funny interviews with all the different people Lavelle has worked with. If you happen to be fans of Joshua Homme, Thom Yorke, Ian Brown there's some great interviews and never before seen studio footage of them. Even if you don't know about the music or this era it's just a really honest and relatable, human story that makes you laugh and cry at different moments. There's also some great music that makes up the soundtrack - so I highly recommend this film to everyone.
Gin & Dry (2010)
Honesty and humour in equal measures
'Gin and Dry' captures today's loutish generation who'll do anything for a drop of alcohol. Intimidation, violence, hostage taking, nothing is too much for these individuals and their lust for a strong drink. Sometimes they're even willing to put their lives and Zimmer frames on the line for it.
In reality 'Gin and Dry' makes use of elderly actors for the cast and a care home as the setting, to tell a very honest story. As with any good film the audience are made to think and one of the pleasures of such a short piece is that it doesn't feel at all didactic. The brevity means that we are provoked and then just as quickly left alone to debate and ponder the issues we feel are most important.
As the central character Albie makes clear, these characters aren't going to be around for too much longer and although many films may deal with life and death, the setting of 'Gin and Dry' provides death with an immediacy that heightens the effect of the story. Alongside debating the roles of alcohol, mortality, love and everything in between, you question why older people are so rarely given the lead roles.
Capture avoid using the typical higher angle shots that often depict older characters as small and fragile. The particularly shallow focus used also adds a hint of the cinematic and the Christmas lights provide warmth to contrast with the honesty of the content. As the camera slowly focuses in on the record Albie has chosen, undulating as it plays, we are led into the wonderfully inspired final shot of the film. The style of the ending perfectly completes a film that is quite simply, a good story told well.
In reality 'Gin and Dry' makes use of elderly actors for the cast and a care home as the setting, to tell a very honest story. As with any good film the audience are made to think and one of the pleasures of such a short piece is that it doesn't feel at all didactic. The brevity means that we are provoked and then just as quickly left alone to debate and ponder the issues we feel are most important.
As the central character Albie makes clear, these characters aren't going to be around for too much longer and although many films may deal with life and death, the setting of 'Gin and Dry' provides death with an immediacy that heightens the effect of the story. Alongside debating the roles of alcohol, mortality, love and everything in between, you question why older people are so rarely given the lead roles.
Capture avoid using the typical higher angle shots that often depict older characters as small and fragile. The particularly shallow focus used also adds a hint of the cinematic and the Christmas lights provide warmth to contrast with the honesty of the content. As the camera slowly focuses in on the record Albie has chosen, undulating as it plays, we are led into the wonderfully inspired final shot of the film. The style of the ending perfectly completes a film that is quite simply, a good story told well.
Hawk (2011)
Never work with animals (and incredible scenery) - they might steal the show
The performance of Robert Gwyn Davin in the final stages of 'Hawk' is powerful and yet not quite supported strongly enough by the rest of the film. I care, but I feel I could care more.
The location and the cinematography ensure that the film is consistently visually stunning; creating a sense of otherworldliness that provides a powerful foundation for the action. This combined with the excellent score and the characters' mellifluous Welsh accents, works to provide the entire piece with a strong ethereal quality.
For me, other than the extraordinary aesthetic of the film, its other greatest triumph is the animals. Generally when animals are not just on screen but actually directly contribute to the narrative, it can feel very forced. Instead of it making things feel more real, all I begin to imagine is the animal's handler jumping up and down behind the camera whilst trying to reassure the director that Rover can indeed portray grief. Essentially animals often hinder films by making the audience feel more conscious of the work that is going into telling the story rather than the story itself, and at this point all illusion is lost. However, In this film the hawks are obviously key to the narrative, but actually do much more than simply allow the plot progress. Every movement of each animal and particularly the hawks feels natural, and this provides an integral link between reality and fantasy.
Paradoxically it's often when the audience is unconscious of the filmmaker's touch that they are doing their best work. What is remarkable about 'Hawk' is the delicate way in special effects and shot choice have been deeply thought about and brilliantly implemented, making the natural landscape infinitely more vivid and full of possibility. Just as with the inclusion of the different animals everything feels cohesive and natural but at the same time wonderfully enchanted.
In regards to the story my overriding sense is that what is being told is simply too grand for the 39 minutes it is allowed. Certain shots feel rushed which makes it seem as though the plot progression is too quick to properly do the story justice. It battles with other elements of the film that are particularly strong and simply cannot compete. However this is all that is lost in a film that is visually stunning as well as engaging.
The location and the cinematography ensure that the film is consistently visually stunning; creating a sense of otherworldliness that provides a powerful foundation for the action. This combined with the excellent score and the characters' mellifluous Welsh accents, works to provide the entire piece with a strong ethereal quality.
For me, other than the extraordinary aesthetic of the film, its other greatest triumph is the animals. Generally when animals are not just on screen but actually directly contribute to the narrative, it can feel very forced. Instead of it making things feel more real, all I begin to imagine is the animal's handler jumping up and down behind the camera whilst trying to reassure the director that Rover can indeed portray grief. Essentially animals often hinder films by making the audience feel more conscious of the work that is going into telling the story rather than the story itself, and at this point all illusion is lost. However, In this film the hawks are obviously key to the narrative, but actually do much more than simply allow the plot progress. Every movement of each animal and particularly the hawks feels natural, and this provides an integral link between reality and fantasy.
Paradoxically it's often when the audience is unconscious of the filmmaker's touch that they are doing their best work. What is remarkable about 'Hawk' is the delicate way in special effects and shot choice have been deeply thought about and brilliantly implemented, making the natural landscape infinitely more vivid and full of possibility. Just as with the inclusion of the different animals everything feels cohesive and natural but at the same time wonderfully enchanted.
In regards to the story my overriding sense is that what is being told is simply too grand for the 39 minutes it is allowed. Certain shots feel rushed which makes it seem as though the plot progression is too quick to properly do the story justice. It battles with other elements of the film that are particularly strong and simply cannot compete. However this is all that is lost in a film that is visually stunning as well as engaging.